United Way of Winnipeg turns 50

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This article was published 11/05/2015 (3783 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The United Way of Winnipeg kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations with the first of 50 days recognizing the many ways the agency touches the lives of Winnipeggers.

About 150 people braved the cooler-than-seasonal temperatures Monday morning to hear from a who’s who of United Way proponents as Portage and Main earned its reputation as the windiest intersection in Canada.

Some of the celebratory events include “Winnipeg Wednesdays,” four Wednesdays in June where Winnipeggers will be encouraged to perform random acts of kindness, starts conversations to make their city better, pitch in to crowdfunding campaigns and join a world record attempt for the most people drumming at once.

Hartley Richardson, CEO of James Richardson & Sons Limited, said while it’s important that corporations big and small contribute to the United Way, the payroll deductions from individual employees ensure that many thousands of Winnipeggers are also invested in the cause.

“It’s the best example I can think of of a community coming together for a common cause. That’s why it needs everybody across our community to be supportive and to understand the work the United Way does and understand that if it doesn’t touch somebody in their family, it will touch somebody they know,” he said.

“This is a critical part of our community. It’s an investment that we all need to make. The importance is giving at any level. You can’t say it’s somebody else’s responsibility, it’s everybody’s responsibility. Any participation is needed and any level of investment is also needed because it all comes together to allow the United Way to do what it does day in and day out,” he says.

Over the past half-century, the United Way of Winnipeg has donated more than $460 million to help people through social programs, services and partnerships.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca